This invention relates to vending machines and, in particular, to article storage unit devices used in the vending machines.
A vending machine has an article storage device, article discharge means for discharging one article at a time from the storage device, and article transporting means for transporting the discharged article to an access station, in a machine cabinet.
It is required in vending machines that a number of articles can be stored in the article storage device to decrease the number of times of article feeding, or loading, operation. However, the machines are desired to be small in the valume.
Moreover it is necessarily required that articles stored in the article storage device are securely discharged without failure.
Furthermore, it is required that fresh articles can be readily fed or loaded into the article storage device.